As of 24th December 2020, I am no longer a public servant, an employee of the state. I have never felt more joyful. The luxury of swanning around the house, choosing how to spend my day, finding new hobbies, picking up old ones, and setting new challenges is very much appreciated and valued.
There hasn’t been a moment where I haven’t known what to do. I have ensured that my life is either full, busy, empty, slow, peaceful, and everything in between. I haven’t missed the identity I laboriously created for myself over many years as a Principal Lecturer at a large regional TAFE college.
Disclaimer: There have been a few occasions where I have wondered what I am going to do with the rest of my life. These thoughts were only fleeting.
My life has become a journey of 3-4 day, short-stay vacations between houses, towns, and corners of the state. Since Christmas, I have travelled between Perth, Albany, Yallingup, Margaret River, and Dunsborough (and of course, the farm). Some of the longer trips have included Exmouth, Kalbarri, Jurien Bat, Green Head, as well as overnight stops in small, inland, Wheatbelt towns.
I am almost tempted to look for work so there is structure to each day. At the moment, there is no structure, and I am missing it. But then the days pass by me and I realise that work, although highly structured and predictable is not necessarily the answer.